Traffic School - You Can't Attend for Highway Hypnosis
The wheels inside my head were humming along, focusing on all the things I had to do for the holidays; shop....decorate....bake....(OK, actually microwave)....change lanes....Change lanes?! I suddenly snapped to and the next frightening thought that passed through my mind was - oh man, how did I just drive that last 10 minutes?
My body was behind the wheel, but clearly, my mind was on another planet.
What would I tell the officer if I got pulled over for speeding? Do they let you go to traffic school for driving while unconscious?
The phenomenon is called "highway hypnosis" or "white line fever" and it usually occurs when you are driving on a fairly long, straight road at a consistent speed. Your body becomes relaxed and the repetition of the passing lines in the road sends your brain down the path of least resistance. Before you know it, you become lulled into a passive trance.
Welcome to La-La Land. You are literally driving on auto-pilot.
Rudy N. of Murrieta says that he experienced highway hypnosis quite frequently in his former job as a vanpool driver. "It's weird. One minute you are driving and before you know it, you are there. As far as it being safe; I'm pretty sure it's safe. I actually think that it's a great way to cope with the realities of the road."
I couldn't help wondering if Rudy ever shared his rather unique perspective with the folks that he drove to work every day.
Can you attend traffic school if you are cited for driving while comatose?
Josh N. of San Jacinto admitted that his mind wanders all the time when he drives. When I asked him if he has ever missed a freeway exit because of it, he empathically said, "No." Then, after thinking a moment he added, "I have missed stop signs, though."
I noticed that his answer was plural. As in; this has happened to Josh more than once. He saw the look of surprise on my face and quickly added, "There aren't going to be any police officers reading this are there?"
One thing is certain; the odds are good thaat Josh will be participating in a traffic school program fairly soon.
Steven R. of Riverside says he experiences highway hypnosis every day. "I hate driving, so I just let myself think about something else; like why I am here."
At least Steven is thinking about something deep and meaningful. All I was thinking about when I was in my driving daze was the potential microwavability of a turkey.
So how do you avoid catching "white line fever"? My favorite advice comes from a web site which discusses the dangers of highway hypnosis. Their suggestion is to, "never listen to any self-hypnosis recordings while driving an automobile".
Feel free to take a moment to write that one down.
More sound suggestions might be to avoid driving after you eat a heavy meal or when you are tired, take frequent stops on long trips and keep the fresh air flowing in your vehicle. Vibrant conversation with your passengers can be helpful, too; unless, of course, your passengers are less-than-vibrant conversationalists.
The most frequently recommended technique for fending off highway hypnosis, however, is to keep your eyes moving. Keeping your eyes in motion between your mirrors and the road will keep you from drifting into the dangerous complacency of hypnotic disassociation.
So, when you are driving down the freeway during the holidays reveling in your Turkey-induced stupor-- keep those eyes moving, keep that invigorating conversation going, oh= and don't forget to leave your self-hypnosis tapes at home.
Because they don't let you go to traffic school for driving while under the influence of tryptophan.
~
About the Author:
M. Pearl has been a traffic school owner and instructor since 1994. Her company, InterActive! Traffic School Online currently offers programs to traffic violators in 6 states, including a Florida Traffic School Online.
Her column on automobile driving is published weekly in newspapers of the various publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
In addition to being the featured columnist for the online publication NewCarBuyingGuide.com, Ms. Pearl's work has also been featured in Mazda's Zoom-Zoom magazine and the International version of Auto Club Magazine.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Traffic School - You Can't Attend for Highway Hypnosis